Developed by Ant Group, Alipay+ provides cross-border mobile payment and marketing solutions which enable merchants, including small and medium-sized businesses, to better serve global consumers.

The collaboration will offer Network’s robust merchant partner network in the UAE across travel, retail, hospitality, tourism, and F&B industries, among others, access to Alipay+ e-wallet partners including Alipay (Chinese mainland), MPay (Macao SAR China), GCash (The Philippines), Kakao Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand), Tinaba (Italy) and more, connecting them to over 1.4 billion customers across the world.

With Network’s all-in-one N-Genius payment terminal and simple integration feature provided by Alipay+, merchants will be able to access the existing and later-onboarded digital payment methods through a unified interface and without implementing additional technical hardware.

Pankaj Kundra, Group Head of Products, Partnerships and Enterprises at Network International, said, “Network has always been at the forefront of introducing diverse and innovative payment technologies and solutions for easier, safer, and secure cross border payment transactions. We are delighted to join hands with Alipay+, unlocking significant potential for our merchant partners to serve a broad customer base from across the globe.”

Douglas Feagin, Senior Vice President, and Head of Alipay+ Cross-Border Mobile Payment Services, Ant Group , said “Network has been an invaluable partner since we first introduced Alipay to local merchants in 2018 to ensure a frictionless experience for Chinese tourists. Today, we are pleased to further deepen our strategic partnership through the launch of Alipay+ to Network’s robust merchant network, enabling visitors across the world to enjoy the same hassle-free experience in the UAE. Under the partnership, we are looking forward to bringing more growth opportunities to merchants and more convenience and memorable experience to consumers worldwide.”

The enhancement of this strategic partnership also comes as Middle East’s booming tourism and retail industries call for digital transformation. According to recent industry reports[1], inbound arrivals surged 15 percent in the first quarter, compared to same period of 2019, making the region one of the fastest-rebounding destinations for tourists across the world. For Dubai alone, the commercial and financial hub saw international visitors increase by 20 percent in the first half of the year to a record-breaking figure of 8.55 million.